Serving Minneapolis, St. Paul and the Surrounding Communities
Your chimney is an essential part of your home, especially during the colder months, but many homeowners overlook one small yet crucial accessory: the chimney cap. At 2nd Generation Chimneys, we’re committed to ensuring your chimney is safe, efficient, and ready to perform when you need it most. That’s why we strongly recommend installing a chimney cap. Let’s explore what chimney caps are, their benefits, and how they can save you from costly chimney problems down the road.
A chimney is meant to serve as an exit route for any of the byproducts created by your fireplace, from ash to combustion gases. With this in mind, it may seem a little counterintuitive to put a cap on your chimney. Wouldn’t that mess with the flow of things out of your home? What’s the point of adding a cap to your chimney anyways?
Our team of technicians is here to give you the answers you need to make an informed decision. Whether you are new to having a fireplace and chimney, or you just haven’t heard about chimney caps before, we are here to help. Let’s dive in to discuss how chimney caps can be helpful in keeping your chimney in good shape.
To the untrained eye, a chimney may look like a simple brick and mortar pillar with a pipe or two at the top. In reality, you know that your chimney has many parts to it. And much like other areas of your home, your chimney needs regular, specialized care.
You want to keep your chimney in good working order. It helps keep your home warm and safe in the cold weather after all. But the question is how do you tell if and where your chimney needs repairs? At the end of the day, it is not only easier but safer to reach out to a professional chimney technician for examination and repair. They will know exactly what to look for and how to address your chimney’s needs safely.
For now however, we can give you a brief description of some parts of your chimney that you might want to check for potential repair needs.
Sure, you might find birds, squirrels, and chipmunks to be quite cute, especially when they’re OUTSIDE! But of course, sometimes these little critters can make their way into your chimney and fireplace, which is certainly not something that you want! Of course, when this happens, you can call on us for animal removal services, but how do you stop the problem from occurring in the first place?
Well, for one, you can consider installing a chimney cap! Installing a chimney cap is a great way to keep those little pests outside, so you can enjoy peace of mind inside. In fact, there are quite a number of benefits of having a chimney cap installed in your chimney, and below, we have listed a few of them for you. All you’ve got to do is keep reading to find out more!
What do you immediately think of when it comes to problems with your chimney? Is it damage caused by rainwater? Perhaps issues stemming from freezing, then warmer, then freezing temperatures? Or maybe simply a chimney that is not venting smoke properly? While these are all certainly cause for concern, there is another problem that many homeowners don’t really think about until it is too late.
That problem? Animals setting up shop in your chimney. Sure, the idea of a little critter hunkering down in your chimney may bring to mind the animated films of your youth, but the reality of the situation is far less pleasant. If you do have animals infiltrating your chimney, let us know right away. Our animal removal specialists are here to get those critters out and to prevent them from coming back.
Some homeowners rely on their fireplaces as their main heat source. Others just cannot resist the cozy comfort that cuddling up with a cup of tea and a good book next to the fireplace can provide. Regardless of how much you use your fireplace, and regardless of what its main function in your home may be, you need your fireplace to function properly at all times. That means burning wood effectively and removing smoke from the home reliably.
So why does it seem like your home is taking in smoke when you burn wood in your fireplace in Minneapolis, MN? There are actually quite a few reasons why this may be the case. That is why working with a professional and experienced fireplace contractor is so important. You need the problem diagnosed accurately before it can be resolved successfully, after all. Here are a few reasons why your home may be a bit hazy when burning wood.
When you think of the services that your chimney may eventually need, you might think of problems related to crumbling fireboxes, flue issues, or water damage. Another very common problem that we can help to solve has to do with animal infiltration. True to our word about being your one stop shop for all of your chimney service needs, we offer animal removal in Minneapolis, MN.
What’s better than having a professional come and remove pests from your chimney for you? How about preventing those pests from getting into your chimney to begin with! That is one of the main benefits that you will enjoy when you have a chimney cap professionally installed on top of your chimney. Consider the following benefits of keeping a chimney cap in place, and be sure to let us know if you have any questions or you wish to schedule an installation.
It may seem that a home’s chimney was made to withstand anything that comes its way, especially something as simple as water. And yet, water damage is the number one reason chimneys require repair. With time, water can damage the inside of a chimney (especially as water freezes and expands in the winter).
This increases the chance that a chimney fire could spread to the outside of your home. It also increases the presence of creosote in your chimney, a highly flammable substance, which is what makes waterproofing so important.
Many of the same cute little critters we love seeing videos of on the internet are also considered pests. Raccoons, squirrels, and more of those silly bandits can hide out in your chimney, while birds can get stuck inside or nest atop the chimney. You may love finding and sharing images of some of these animals online, but when they get into your chimney, you can start to worry.
Some chimney technicians, like many of the members of our team, specialize in animal removal from chimneys. Some animals will require the help of animal rescue services to remove. Others will require you to allow them to stay and camp out until they migrate on their own, but there are things you can do to prevent this in the first place. Read on to learn a bit more about how animal removal works when it comes to chimneys.
Take a look at the chimney pictured here. It might look like a typical chimney, if not a bit worn with age. But to chimney sweeps, this structure has a couple of major issues. We want to make sure that your home is protected, so we’re helping you learn what might make a chimney fire more likely or what may help it to spread to the outside of the home.
Be sure to schedule inspections and cleaning for your chimney each and every year, so you don’t have to worry about trying to evaluate your chimney on your own. Call our friendly team today!